A British Airways pilot was briefly suspended after reportedly leaving a cockpit door open while flying from London Heathrow to New York-JFK last week.
According to British newspaper The Telegraph, passengers and crew noticed the open door – a violation of post-9/11 air safety rules – and contacted British Airways as soon as the flight landed in New York last Friday. The pilot was temporarily suspended, and the airline canceled a return flight from New York to London as a result.
A source told The Sun that the open door made passengers feel “incredibly uneasy.”
Neither British Airways nor media reports have identified the pilot by name. He reportedly left the cockpit door open so that family members on the flight could watch him fly the airplane.
- British Airways A319s taxi at London Heathrow. [Nick Morrish/British Airways]
U.S. and U.K. laws require that passenger aircraft have reinforced doors that can withstand forced entry, and that they be closed and locked for the duration of a flight. They were implemented after the terrorist hijackings of Sept. 11, 2001.
In the U.S., plans are in the works to mandate secondary cockpit barriers as added protection. Airlines have until August 2026 to install the barriers.
The Daily Mail reported Thursday that the pilot has returned to work after an investigation by British Airways found there was no security threat.
“Safety and security is our top priority and allegations of this nature are always fully investigated,” an airline spokesperson said.
The U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority is investigating the incident.
